Clay-working machine.



No. 815,398. PATENTED MAR. 20, 1906.

' P. ALSIP. v

CLAY WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1905.

: e No. 815,398.

UNITED s ArEs FRANK ALSIP, or c ncAeo, ILLINOIS. I

PATENT. OFFICE. Y

CLAY-WORKING MACHINE...

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 20, 1906.

Application filed April 24, 1905. Serial No. 257,188.

To aZZ whom it may concern: Be it known that I, FRANK ALsIP, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClay-Workin Machines, of which the following is a s ec' cation. i

My invention re ates to that class of clay working machines employed .inthe making of bricks or bricks and tiles and having a nozzle providedwith or forming a die .or matrix, through which a column of clay in aplastic condition passes, such'column ofclay being molded by the die ormatrix into the desired form and adapted to becut into sections orbricks in any ordinary and well-known manner.'

It relates particularly to that class of clayworking machines known asbrick-making, or brick-molding machines having anozzle provided with adie or matrix integral there'- with or secured thereto throughwhi'c'hthe column of clay passes to be out into bricks after emergingtherefrom, being first separated into a plurality of columns and thencut into bricks of the desiredsize.

-The principal object of my invention is to rovide a simple, economical,and efiicient rick-making machine.

A-further object of the inventionis to provide a brick-making machinehaving a nozzle provided with a die or matrix through which the columnof clay operated upon passes and provided with means for separating thecolumn of .clay into a plurality of columns as it emerges from such die,or matrix, such column being adapted to be cut into sections of thedesired dimensions tovform bricks and the like.

A further object is to provide. a suitable cutter arranged outside thedie ormatrix through which the column of clay passes and adapted to beadjusted and supported in operative position to separate the column ofclay into a plurality of columns asit emerges or after it emerges fromthe die or matrix. A further object is to provide cutter mechanismextending across the outside of the mouth of the nozzle or die adaptedto out the column of clay emerging from the die into a plurality ofcolumns and adapted to be readily renewed or re laced when broken.

Other and urther objects of the invention will appear from anexamination of the draw- .ings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists in the features, com-' sides of'the columns ofclay separated andv resting upon-the carrier belt or apron; Fig.

3 a detail view of one ofthe cut'ter-supporting arms; Fig. 4:, an edgeview of the cuttersupporting arms shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a detailview in elevation of one of the cutters.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well'known-that it isvery desirable toform a plurality of columns of clay, so that they maybe simultaneously cut into sections or bricks of the desired dimensions,thus afiording a great saving of time and greatly increasing thecapacity of a machine. In order to accomplish this, machines have beenconstructed which force the clay through aplurality of dies or matricesor through a die or matrix having a plurality of openings, the o I clayemerging from such dies or matrices into two columns. It is found,however, in practice that the columns of clay thus formed cannot becaused to move at-exactly the same rate of speed, and it is well knownthat this is essential in order to accomplish the best results. Bycausing a plurality of columns of clay to "move at the same rate ofspeed it becomes possible to out such columns intosections or bricks ofexactly the same dimensions and by means of the same operation of thecutting device. The cutting may be accomplished in any ordinary andwell-known manner. To accomplish. these objects and to overcome theabove objections,

instead of forcing the clay through a plurality of dies, so that itemerges from the dies in two columns,I provide a machine adapted toforce the clay from the die in a single column and provided with cutter.mechanism adapted to out such single column of clay into a plurality ofcolumns after it emerges from the die. By this means the columns arecaused to be produced and to move at exactly the same rate of speed.

In constructing a brick-making machine provided with my improvements Iprovide a clay-containing cylinder a, forming a receptaele forcontaining clay to be operated upon and having a concave or taperedmember I) and a nozzle 0 secured thereto in any ordinary and well-knownmanner. The nozzle may be of any ordinary and well-known type. It has atapered axial passage or opening therethrough communicating with thereceptacle for containing the clay and is provided with a die or matrixeither integral therewith or secured thereto in any ordinary andwell-known manner, forming top, bottom, and side molding-surfaces of thedesired form for molding the column of clay d, which is forced throughsuch die or matrix. The die or matrix memher. or members may be of anyordinary or known type, and as these dies are well known in the art itis not deemed necessary to illustrate or describe them here.

My improved cutter mechanism, consisting of a plurality of cutters e ande and cuttersupporting arms f and g, is secured in posi- 2 5 tion sothat the cutter extends across the mouth of the nozzle and across themouth of the die or matrix secured to or formed by such nozzle. Thecutter-supporting arms are secured, preferably, to the nozzle by 0 meansof bolts 7L and i. The bolts h pass through perforations in the upperand lower cutter-supporting arms, respectively, and each of suchcutter-supporting arms is provided with slots 76, elongated transverselyof 5 such arms and of the nozzle to which the arms are secured. Thecutters e and e are formed, preferably, of wire, having their oppositeends provided with loops Z, which are mounted upon studs m of thecutter-support- 4o ing arms, such studs being preferably inclinedbackward in the direction of their outer ends, so as to hold thecutter-wires removably in position. The cutter-wire-supporting arms aremade of flexible material,

referably tempered steel, being curved or ent sufliciently so that theynormally extend outward from the outer surface of the nozzle.

"' When the cutter-wires are attached to these resilientcutter-supporting arms, the arms are pressed inward toward the outersurface of the nozzle and held at a tension by the wires, thecutter-wires being in turn held at the desired tension so as toefficiently cut the column of clay as it emerges from the die or matrixinto a plurality of columns each adapted to be cut into sections orbricks of the desired dimensions.

In order to enable the cutter-wires to be readily adjusted, it is onlynecessary to loosen the bolts h and 'i sufficiently to permit thecutter-supporting arms to be moved transversely of the nozzle or die tothe desired position, such movement being permitted by the elongatedslot is in each of such cutter supporting arms. The cutters having beenadjusted to the desired position, the bolts are tightened and thecutters are held stationary in operative position.

When in operative position, the cutter (2 extends across the outside ofthe mouth of the die or matrix or the nozzle forming the die or matrix,so that the column of clay emerges from the mouth of the die, and afteremerging therefrom it is cut into a plurality of columns by the cutter.The plurality of columns it thus formed passes onto a supporting-plate oand from such supporting-plate to a carrier apron or b elt p, which ismounted upon supporting-wheels q, the supporting-wheel near the nozzlebeing cambered or of larger diameter at its peripheral center 1 than atits outer edges 8, so as to cause the adjacent side surfaces of thecolumns of clay to be separated as shown in Fig. 2, and thus preventedfrom sticking together.

To further insure the continued separation of the columns of clay formedby cutting the column d into a plurality of columns as or after itemerges from the molding surfaces and mouth of the die 1), a sand-box t,which may be of any ordinary and well-known form, is provided andmounted over the column of clay upon a supporting-bracket u. The sandboxis provided. with suitable openings for permitting the sand. to passtherefrom between the separated columns of clay, so as to sand theiradjacent sides and the surface of the carrier-apron, so as to preventthe clay from sticking to the apron and also prevent. the separatedcolumns of clay from adhering together. The cutting of the column ofclay is performed by forcing the clay throu h the die c, which molds itinto a single co umn, and the same power which molds it forces itagainst the on tter-wire arranged in its path of movement, and thus cutsit into a plurality of columns. The mechanism for thus forcing the clayagainst the cutter and through the mold may be of any ordinary or knowntype. The carrier-apron wheels q may be rotatably mounted inbearing-boxes 1 upon standards .2, forming portions of a brick-makingmachine, which may be of any ordinary and well-known type.

I claim 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of ashell forming a receptacle for containing clay to be operated upon, anozzle connected with. such receptacle and provided with a die ormolding-surface portion for molding a column of clay and permitting suchcolumn of clay to emerge from the mouth of such nozzle, a cutterextending across the outside of the mouth of the nozzle for cutting suchcolumn of clay into a plurality of columns, and means for separating theadjacent sides of such columns of clay.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a shellforming a receptacle. for containing clay to be operated upon, a

, .noz'zle connected with such receptacle and separating the adjacentsides of such columns provided with a die or molding-surface porof clay,and means for sanding the adjacent 10 tion for molding a column of clayand permitsides ofsuch columns of clay. ting such column ofclay toemerge from the mouth of such nozzle, a cutter extending FRANK ALSIP'across the' outside of the mouth of the nozzle Witnesses:andmolding-s'urface for cuttingsuch column C. H. ALsIP,

of clay into a plurality of columns, means for HARRY I. CROMER.

